Ron Weasley and the Philosopher's Stone
by Allison M Potter
Summary: Ron's POV on the first book. We are seeing if it works. This is pretty funny right now! *CHAPTER 5 UP*, "The Potions Master" Ron likes Hermione but doesn't know her really... we'll have to wait for "Halloween" for that! R/hr supporters come on in! R/R!
1. The Boy Who Lived & Hogwarts Letter

A/N: Hey people this is what happened to Ron first year, with my own little twist. Oh and it's all in Ron's Point of View.   
  
  
  
  
  
  


~ Ron Weasley and the Sorcerer's Stone ~

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"The Boy who Lived"_

  


What is a Harry Potter? Why is _it_ special? What's a "You-know-who?" I'm so confused. Sure I'm one year old, but all the same. I'm a big boy, I'm a big brother! People keep telling me that I'm one though I'm not quite sure what it means.   
  
But there's this little person, someone shorter than me, that keeps crying. The big lady that I call "Mum," keeps calling it Ginny. What's that mean? She keeps calling me Ronnie. What _does_ Ronnie mean? And then there's this one that they keep talking about, Harry Potter. What's a Harry Potter? The big people keep saying that Harry Potter is special. What did it do? 

Why _aren't_ you answering my questions? You don't know either? Let's go ask Mum…… 

"Mum?" 

"Yes?" 

"'Arry potter, wat's sat?" 

"Harry Potter? Oh! Well he's about your age, and he defeated 'You-know-who.'" 

"Wat's sat?" 

"Well, you'll find out when you are older." 

Well, yeah, she _was_ _a_ real help. Ahh! Here comes that crying thing a "Ginny."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"Hogwarts Letter."_

  


Yes! My first year at Hogwarts! I can't wait. 

But then again, I haven't got the letter yet, am I a squib? I better not be, that would be horrible. I think my mum would disown me. Well let's go downstairs and see if it came today.   
  
"Ronnie! You got your letter!" Mum called from downstairs. 

"Don't call me that!" I called back. 

I got it! _Really?_ Then I'm not a squib. Well, that would **definitely** make **me** different from my brothers. Oh, I do hope I get into Gryffindor, just think if I was in Slytherin. I shudder at the thought. 

But how am I going to be different? Bill was head boy. Charlie was the captain of the Quidditch team. Percy is a prefect this year, and Fred and George are funny and known for it. But what about poor little Ron? What's special about me?   
  
"Oh look its Ronnie, the newest student at Hogwarts," Fred teased. 

"Stop it! Mum see what you did!" 

"Oh look Ronnie's ears are red," George teased. 

I quickly covered my ears, which brought even more laughter to my twin brothers. 

"Be quiet you two, or I'll take away all your pocket money," my mum said. 

"Hey!" 

"You can't do that!" 

"Just watch me." 

"And **I'll** take points from Gryffindor," Percy pompously.   
  
"Oh great, here goes the '_I'm Percy the Prefect'_ speech," Fred groaned.   
  
"Plus you can't take points yet," George retaliated. 

"This year being the Prefect of Gryffindor," Percy started, ignoring George, and I ignored him. I've heard this how many times? I lost count after the 10th. 

"So Mum, when are we going to Diagon Alley?" I asked I couldn't _wait_ to start at school, the only bad part is that all of my stuff was once one of my brothers or it's second hand. I don't even get my own wand. It was Charlie's. He bought a new one, he does make some money studying dragons in Romania, after all.   
  
I don't even have my own pet! I get Scabbers, who was Percy's. Scabbers is a fat rat that does nothing. He's just real old, he's 10 I think. And if Percy wasn't a prefect, I wouldn't have any pet. You see Percy got Hermes this year, because he's a prefect. 

"Well, I don't know, I'll have to talk to your father," my mum said, she seemed flustered. Probably because there are so many of us at school. But all the same I can't wait until school starts!   



	2. Diagon Alley

A/N: The characters do not belong to me, and part of the conversations in this are J.K.'s too. But I did that to see more like the books which if you all know, is what my goal is. I know that this is very short, but the next chapter is already two pages long, yeah!  
  
  
  
"Diagon Alley"  
  
Floo powder of course, how else did I think we were going to get to Diagon alley? Of course Fred and George are going to try to get out at Knockturn alley, but they won't be allowed in, like always. Diagon alley, why am I nervous to go there? I've been there countless times. Of course we won't be going to the nice shops. The second hand shops are for the Weasleys.  
  
"Ron, your next," my father said from next to the fireplace.  
  
Ahh, its my turn. I take a pinch of floo powder and add it to the fire and call out, "Diagon alley." Okay, tuck in my elbows, and I'll be fine. Look, there's my stop.  
  
Diagon alley is just how I remember it, but then again I was here a few months ago. There's George, or is it Fred? Oh, I can't tell them apart, and neither can my mother. The Quality Quidditch Supplies store, is that a new broom that Fred and George are looking at? I ran up to Fred and George who were standing with their noses pushed up against the window, next to Lee Jordan, their friend.  
  
"Look," I heard Lee say, "the new nimbus Two Thousand – fastest ever-"  
  
Hey what was that? "Fred, who is that?" I said pointing to a very tall and large man, he had a kid with jet-black hair with him.  
  
"Oh, that's Hagrid," Fred replied.  
  
"He's the groundskeeper at Hogwarts," added George.  
  
"And who's that kid with him?" I asked.  
  
"I don't know, never seen him before must be another first year," Fred said.  
  
"and important if he's with Hagrid," George said.  
  
"Why do you say that?" I asked.  
  
"Because Dumbledore loves Hagrid," Lee said, and then quickly added, "not like that mind you." But the boy went out of my head as our mother called us over to her.  
  
We got all of our supplies and our tickets for the first of September, platform nine and three-quarters. 


	3. The Journey on Platform Nine and Tree-Qu...

A/N: This chapter promises to be longer than the last. I know it is, because I forgot to put this in until now and it is four pages as of right now. 

I'd like to thank my four reviewers! =) YOU ROCK! 

The characters don't belong to me they belong to…umm…Uh…Oh yeah! J.K. Rowling! 

_"The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters"_

I woke at five o'clock on the first day of September to nervous and to excited to go back to bed. I got up and put on some Muggle clothes, Dad was insisting we go to King's Cross the Muggle way, I'd have to change on the train. I checked that everything was packed away, which was good, I almost forgot my wand. I placed my wand in my pocket and headed downstairs for breakfast.   
Two hours later, my huge, heavy, and used trunk had been loaded into our old Ford Anglia, along with Fred's, George's and Percy's. I was sitting next to Fred and Ginny, she was obsessed with going to Hogwarts, I don't think she'll ever be obsessed with anything else as much.   
We arrived at King's Cross half past ten and put all of our trunks on trolleys which took quite awhile seeing how there are four of us going this year. We were approaching the platform and my mum was complaining about all the Muggles there, like always.   
"It's packed with Muggles, of course -" she was saying, I wasn't paying much attention we only had a few minutes to get on to the train.   
"Now, what's the platform number?" Mother asked, as if she didn't know.   
"Nine and three-quarters," Ginny squealed, "Mom, can't I go?"   
"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right Percy you go first."   
Of course oldest and specialist goes first. _Specialist_? Did I just make up a word, not that it matters, I quite like the sound of my voice.   
Percy marched towards the platforms, the same way he'd been strolling around home all summer, as if he was superior, as some ultra human being. Thinking about what I was thinking, I missed Percy going through the barrier, but then again it was nothing special, I'd seen it countless times.   
"Fred you next," my mom said.   
"I'm not Fred, I'm George," Fred or George said, they had dressed identical today and I believe that that was the point. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"   
"Sorry, George, dear."   
"Only joking, I am Fred," my brother said, and off he went. George, apparently, called after him to hurry up, and Fred did, because then he was gone. And then George followed Fred right through the wall to the platform.   
"Excuse me," a boy said to my mum, he had that same jet-black hair I had seen when we were at Diagon Alley. But where was that Hagrid? He had a thin face, knobby knees, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses that were held together by a lot of tape. He had bangs on his forehead but there appeared to be some sort of cut on it. I couldn't see all of it and then remembered it was impolite to stare, and turned to look towards the barrier.   
"Hello, dear," Mum replied. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at me and I felt my ears turn pink.   
"Yes," said the boy. "The thing is- the thing is, I don't know how to-"   
"How to get on the platform?" Mum said kindly, she always remembered her manners. And the boy nodded.   
"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll run into it, that's very important. Best to do it at a bit of a run if you are nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."   
"Er --- okay," he said, he seemed very scared. He pushed his trolley around and looked towards the barrier.   
He started to walk towards it. People jostled him on their way to the other platforms. The boy began to walk faster, and then started to lean forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run – he was about a foot way and ran right through the wall.   
"Ron, I want you to be nice to that boy, he's all alone and seems to be lost and confused," Mum was telling me.   
"Okay, mum."   
"Well go on, it's your turn."   
"I'll see you on the other side." I pushed my cart towards the barrier and pushed through looking for the dark-haired boy, I saw Fred and George helping him put his trunk on the train. I saw mum coming through the barrier, as I turned around and she and Ginny helped me load my trunk in the compartment with Fred and George's. Even if I didn't end up sitting there they didn't want Mum mad at them before school even started, and I don't blame them. Mum was looking for them and decided she might as well call them instead of trying to find them.   
"Fred? George? Are you there?"   
"Coming mom," came one of my brother's voices from the last compartment.   
My mother just pulled out her handkerchief. "Ron, you've got something on your nose."   
I tried to get away, but she got me and began to rub the end of my long nose. "Mom – geroff." I said wriggling free.   
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nose?" said Fred.   
"Shut up," I said.   
"Where's Percy?" our mother asked.   
"He's coming now," I said pointing at him as he came striding down to us. He had already changed into his black school robes, with his prefect badge pinned on it, it was incredibly shiny, he'd been polishing it all morning. I don't think it could get any shinier.   
"Can't stay long, Mother," Percy said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves –"   
"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" Fred said, as if he didn't already know. "You should have said something, we had no idea."   
George gave him Fred a look, as if he was excited that they had finally found time to use this. "Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it. Once -"   
"Or twice–"   
"A minute-"   
"All summer-"   
"Oh, shut up," Percy said. Fred smirked at George, they knew that they had achieved their goal.   
"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" George asked.   
"Because he's a prefect," Mum said happily. "All right, dear, well, have a good term – send me an owl when you get there."   
She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to look at Fred and George. "Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or-"   
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet," George said happily.   
"Great idea though, thanks, Mom." Fred said.   
"It's _not_ funny," she said. "And look after Ron."   
"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us," Fred said.   
"Shut up," I said again.   
"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" Fred asked.   
"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?" George asked us.   
"Who?" Mum, Ginny, and I said.   
"_Harry Potter_!" chorused the twins. Really? Could it be? That must be that cut I saw on his head, and he's my age! I wonder if we'll be in the same house? He's bound to be in Gryffindor, being the only known survivor of You-Know-Who. Ginny was saying something, but I was so lost in my own thoughts I wasn't listening.   
"- is he really, Fred? How do you know?"   
"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there – like lightning."   
"Poor dear --- no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get on the platform."   
"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"   
Mother suddenly became very stern. "I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day of school."   
"All right, keep your hair on."   
The train whistled and I jumped, I was just grateful neither Fred or George were looking at me, I'd never be able to live it down.   
"Hurry up!" our mother said, and the three of us climbed on to the train. We leaned out of the window for her to kiss us good-bye, and Ginny began to cry.   
"Don't Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."   
"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."   
"_George_!"   
"Only joking, Mom."   
The train began to move and Mum started waving frantically, and Ginny, half crying, half laughing, was running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, she fell back and waved. I figure I better find a spot to sit. The end! That's it, that's where Harry Potter is too, maybe I can make friends with him right away. But what would my excuse be? Well I better think of one soon, I'm already opening the door!   
"Anyone sitting there?" I asked, pointing at the seat opposite him. "Everywhere else is full." Boy that was a good excuse and I don't even remember thinking it.   
Harry Potter shook his head, and all I could do was look at him, I wanted to see that scar. I quickly realized what I was doing and looked out the window.   
"Hey, Ron," Fred said coming into the compartment.   
"Listen, we're going down to the middle of the train – Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there," George said, completely knowing that I hate spiders.   
"Right," I mumbled trying not to let them know they'd got to me.   
"Harry," Fred said, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred," he said pointing to himself, "and George Weasley," he said pointing at George. "And this is Ron our brother. See you later then."   
"Bye," Harry and I said at the same time, maybe we'd become friends better than I had expected.   
"Are you really Harry Potter?" I asked completely forgetting my manors.   
Harry Potter nodded.   
"Oh – well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," I said, not knowing why. "And have you really got – you know…" I pointed at Harry Potter's forehead.   
Harry Potter pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar.   
"Wicked!" I said, "So that's where You-Know-Who ---"   
"Yes," he said, "But I can't remember it."   
"Nothing?" I said eagerly.   
"Well --- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."   
"Wow," I said. I sat and stared at Harry Potter for a few moments. Relishing in the fact that someone famous was talking to me. I quickly remembered what I was doing and looked out the window yet again.   
"Are all your family wizards?" he asked, he seemed as interested in me as I was of him.   
"Er – yes, I think so," I said, not quite sure. "I think Mum's got a second cousin that's an accountant, but we never talk about him."   
"So you must know lots of magic already."   
I didn't want to talk about my magic, so I changed the subject. "I heard you went to live with Muggles. What are they like?"   
"Horrible – well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I had three wizard brothers."   
"Five," I corrected, I hated my family, well it's size and lack of money… not the people. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left – Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as good as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."   
I reached inside my coat and pulled out Scabbers my fat gray rat, who was asleep. "His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff – I mean, I got Scabbers instead." I felt my ears going pink, I know I said too much, I went back to looking out the window.   
Harry Potter didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. He told me that he had never known about having any money to his name until a month ago. He told me all about having to wear his cousin's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This really cheered me up, I hadn't blown my chance at being friends with Harry Potter.   
"Until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort-"   
Oh my God! He's just said You-Know-Who's name! I gasped.   
"What?" he asked.   
"You said You-Know-Who's name!" I said, I didn't know if I was shocked or impressed, maybe a combination of the two. "I'd have thought you, of all people --"   
"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name, I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn …I bet." This really seemed to worry him, I wonder why? "I bet I'm the worst in the class."   
"You won't be," I reassured him. "There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."   
We were quiet for quite a while watching the cows and sheep speed by.   
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back the door to our compartment and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"   
Harry seemed to have had nothing to eat all day, leapt to his feet. My ears went pink, I could feel it, and I muttered, "I've got sandwiches."   
Harry went out into the corridor. He came back in with some of everything. He had Pumpkin Pasties, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, Drooble's best Blowing Gum, Cauldron Cakes, Fizzing Whizbees, and countless others. Harry tipped it all onto an empty seat.   
"Hungry, are you?" I asked.   
"Starving," Harry said taking a bite of a Pumpkin Pasty.   
I decided if he was going to eat I might as well too. I took out my sandwiches and unwrapped them. What did she give me? I hope not corned beef. I pulled apart one of the sandwiches and saw that she had, "She always forgets that I don't like corned beef."   
"Swap you for one of these," Harry said holing up a pasty. "Go on ---"   
"You don't want this, it's all dry," I said. " She hasn't got much time, you know, with five of us."   
"Go on have a pasty," Harry said. I finally gave in and we sat there eating our way through pasties, cakes and candies (my sandwiches lay forgotten).   
"What are these?" Harry asked me, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?"   
"No," I said. "But do see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa an--"   
"What?"   
"Oh of course, you wouldn't know," I said, I had totally forgot that he didn't know anything. "Chocolate Frogs have cards in them, you know, to collect – famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."   
Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card.   
"So this is Dumbledore!" he said.   
"Don't tell me you don't know Dumbledore!" I said. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa."   
Harry nodded.   
"Thanks," I said picking one up, nope not a new card, Morgana again.   
Harry seemed thrilled by the cards, I wonder why. He turned the card back over and had a look of shock on his face. "He's gone!"   
"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," I said. "He'll be back. I've got Morgana again, I've got about five of them at home … do you want it? You can start collecting." My eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs, they looked so tasty.   
"Help yourself," Harry said, seeming to know I wanted one. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people stay put in photos."   
"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" This was so weird, staying put in pictures! "Weird!"   
Harry was amazed by all the cards, that I had seen plenty of, he finally tore his eyes off of them to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.   
"You want to be careful with those," I warned him. "They say every flavor and they mean every flavor. You know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate, peppermint, and marmalade. But then you get spinach, liver and vomit. George says he had a boogey-flavored one once."   
I picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. "Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts."   
We had a great time eating the Every Flavor Beans. I got chocolate, peppermint, strawberry, another sprout one, and marmalade. Harry was brave enough to try a gray one that I wouldn't touch. It turned out to be pepper.   
There was a knock on the door of our compartment. He was a round-faced boy that looked tearful.   
"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"   
We both shook our heads, we hadn't. The boy continued, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"   
"He'll turn up," Harry said.   
"Yes," the boy said miserably. "Well, if you see him…" And the boy left.   
"Don't know why he's so bothered," I said. "If I'd brought a toad I'd loose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." Stupid rat, he's still sleeping. "He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," I said in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, you know. But the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…" I pulled my wand out of my pocket. "Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway -" I said noticing the silver on the tip of my wand.   
I had just raised my wand when the door was opened yet again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She had loads of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, but she was beautiful all the same.   
"Has anyone seen Neville's toad? He's lost it," she said.   
"We've already told him we hadn't," I said, trying to be of help, but she wasn't listening, she was looking at me. Okay, she was looking at the wand in my hand, but that's mine.   
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then."   
She sat down. I was taken aback.   
"Er – all right." I was not expecting this, but oh well. I cleared my throat. 

_"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_   
_Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."_

I waved my wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.   
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" she said, I noticed her voice was very bossy. "Well it's not a very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells, just for practice. And they've all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased. Of course, I mean, it's the best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said all of this very fast.   
I looked at Harry, he too, seemed not to have memorized his books by heart.   
"I'm Ron Weasley," I muttered.   
"Harry Potter," Harry said.   
"Are you really?" Hermione said amazed. "I know all about you. Of course – I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.   
"Am I?" Harry said.   
"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could have if it was me," Hermione said. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor. I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad … Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."   
And she finally left taking the toadless boy, Neville, with her. She sounded so much like my mother, just what I need.   
"What ever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," I said. I threw my wand back into my pocket. "Stupid spell – George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."   
"What house are your brothers in?" Harry asked.   
"Gryffindor," I said. Gloom was setting in again, I better be in Gryffindor… "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin.:   
"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"   
"Yeah," I said. I flopped back into the seat depressed.   
"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," Harry said, he was trying to take my mind off of houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"   
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons. Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," I said. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles --- someone tried to rob a high security vault."   
Harry just stared, then finally, "Really? What happened to them?"   
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says that it must have been some powerful Dark wizard, to get around Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."   
Harry sat there, he seemed to be thinking about what I had just told him. I didn't really want to talk about it, so I changed the subject.   
"What's your Quidditch team?" I asked.   
"Er -- I don't know any," Harry said.   
"What!" I said dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world –" I was explaining about the Chasers, Keeper, Seeker and the Beaters. The Quaffle, Bludgers and the Golden Snitch. And all the games I had seen and the new Nimbus 2000. I was talking to Harry about the finer points of the game when the door slid back open. It wasn't Hermione of Neville.   
Three boys entered.   
"Is it true?" the boy in the middle said. He had pale blond hair and a rather disgusting look on his face. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"   
"Yes," said Harry. The other two boys were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.   
"Oh, these are Crabbe and Goyle," said the pale boy. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."   
I sniggered, but covered up with a cough. I'd heard about the Malfoys.   
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford." The pale boy turned back to Harry.   
"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."   
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.   
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," Harry said coolly.   
Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge did appear in his pale cheeks.   
"I'd be careful if I were you Potter," said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."   
Both Harry and I stood up.   
"Say that again," I said, sounding braver than I felt.   
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.   
"Unless you go now," said Harry.   
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."   
Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to me – I leapt forward, not knowing why, but before I'd so much as touched Goyle, he let out a horrible yell.   
Scabbers was hanging off Goyle's finger, sharp teeth sunk deep into his knuckle – Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers around and round, howling and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought that there were more rats hiding among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in. Oh joy…   
"What has been going on?" she said, looking at all the sweets on the floor and me picking up Scabbers.   
"I think he's been knocked out," I said to Harry. I looked closer at Scabbers. "No – I don't believe it – he's gone back to sleep. You've met Malfoy before?"   
Harry explained about meeting Malfoy in Diagon Alley.   
"I've heard of his family," I said darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." I turned to Hermione, who was just standing there. "Can we help you with something?"   
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"   
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," I said scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"   
"All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors. And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"   
I glared at her as she left. Harry peered out the window. He and I took off our jackets and pulled on our long black robes. Mine were a bit short for me, you could see my sneakers underneath them.   
Then a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."   
My nerves were overflowing with in me. Harry and I crammed our pockets with the last remaining sweets and joined the people in the corridor.   
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. I saw Harry shiver in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students.   
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"   
Hagrid, I presumed. His big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.   
"C'mon, follow me – any more first years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"   
Stumbling and slipping, we followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of us I thought there must me thick trees there. Nobody talked much. Neville, the toadless boy, sniffed once or twice.   
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. Jus' round this bend here."   
There was a loud "Ooooooh!" As the narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many towers and turrets.   
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid boomed, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and I were followed into our boat by Neville and to my dislike, Hermione.   
"Everyone in?" Hagrid called, who had a boat himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"   
The fleet of boats moved at once, scooting across the lake, which was smooth as glass. We were all silent, even Hermione. We were all staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over us as we sailed closer and close to the cliff on which it stood.   
"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled. As the first boats reached the cliff the passengers bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff's face. We were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be under the castle, until we reached a kind of underground harbor, where we climbed out onto rocks and pebbles.   
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Hagrid said, while checking the boats as people climbed out of them.   
"Trevor!" Neville cried happily, holding out his hands. We then climbed up a passageway in the rock behind Hagrid's lamp. Until we reached a smooth, damp grass in the shadow of Hogwarts.   
We walked a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front doors.   
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid asked.   
He raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.   



	4. The Sorting Hat

A/N: That last chapter was huge! Okay you probably noticed that the last chapter seemed very familiar. You know why? Because this is Ron Weasley and the Sorcerer's Stone! Oh, and if you don't recognize some of the names in the sorting, I made them up… okay don't shoot me, they are my friends and I, but we wont be doing anything, its just to make us feel special.  
  
"The Sorting Hat"  
  
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face… this looked like McGonagall, head of Gryffindor.  
  
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.  
  
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."  
  
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the Burrow in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches. The ceiling was to high to make out, a beautiful marble staircase facing us led to the upper floors.  
  
We followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. I could hear the sound of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – everyone else must already be here – but Professor McGonagall lead us into a tiny, empty room off the hall. We squished in, all standing closer than we normally would have. Everyone seemed as nervous as I felt. People were peering about very nervously.  
  
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall, and I wondered why my brothers tried to cross her, she seemed worse than my mum. "The start of term banquet will being shortly. Before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you need to be sorted into your house. The Sorting is a very important ceremony, because, while you are here, your house will be like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.  
  
The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards," she was saying, I highly doubted Slytherins were noble. And I highly doubted that any Slytherin has been outstanding in my opinion. Outstandingly frightening, but that's about it.  
  
"While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you hose points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, which is a great honor. I hope that each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."  
  
"The ceremony will begin in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you wait." Professor McGonagall looked at the toadless boy, Neville, and then me… Must be that smudge that people keep talking about. I tried as much as I could to remove of it. Harry was trying to flatten his hair, I could tell he was loosing that battle.  
  
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," Professor McGonagall said and then left the room.  
  
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked me.  
  
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking," I said, I really hope he was joking… imagine, I get up there and they send me home, because they have to many Weasleys here and it was a mistake to send me the letter. That Hermione is standing two feet away and talking so incredibly fast about which spell that she knows is the one they want her to use. I tried not to think about or hear her, so I looked towards Harry, and as I did he jumped. Huh? What did I do? Then I realized, that there were ghosts coming through the wall. We've got a ghoul at home, this is nothing new to me, but at least ghosts are pleasant to be around, well if they don't go through you…  
  
The ghost that looked like a fat monk was in the process of saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance --"  
  
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not even really a ghost. I say, what are you all doing here?" The ghost that was talking, one with a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed we were standing there.  
  
"New students!" the Fat Friar said smiling at all of us. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"  
  
Even Hermione couldn't talk to these guys, I noticed that she was nodding though, the question was why was I looking at her?  
  
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Fat Friar. "My old house, you know!"  
  
"Move along," said Professor McGonagall as she came back into the room. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."  
  
I got into line behind Harry and Neville was behind me, then there was Hermione… why am I looking at her? Face forward, look at the back of Harry's head. We walked through a pair of double doors and into the Great Hall.  
  
It was even more splendid than Fred, George, Percy, Bill, Charlie, Mum or Dad had made it out to be. The place was light by hundreds upon thousands of candles floating in midair over four long tables, where everyone else was sitting. I saw Percy wave, and Fred and George imitate him and wave too. They had gold plates and goblets sitting in front of them. I had never seen anything so shiny in my whole life, no wait I take that back, Percy's prefect badge is shinier.  
  
At the front of the Great Hall there was another long table, but running the other direction. They must be all the teachers, the people sitting at the table, because there was Dumbledore, front and center. Professor McGonagall led us up there so we stopped facing the other students and the teachers behind us. All the students were looking at us, I saw Fred and George making faces at me, so I looked at what harry was looking at… the ceiling. I heard Neville ask how it looked like that. And of course Hermione responded with her know it all voice, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."  
  
Professor McGonagall silently placed a stool {I don't want to mess with how many legs it has, it changes between books…} in front of us. On top of the stool she placed a pointed wizards hat, and extremely old and dirty one.  
  
Maybe I have to transfigure it, I thought, Percy was always talking about what they had learned in transfiguration in his letters. But how? I was looking at the hat to see what kind of animal it was closest to and then the hat twitched. Was someone already starting? A rip near the brim opened wide and, believe it or not, the hat began to sing!  
  
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
  
but don't judge on what you see,  
  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
  
a smarter hat than me.  
  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
  
And I can cap them all.  
  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
  
The sorting hat can't see,  
  
So try me on an I will tell you  
  
Where you ought to be.  
  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
  
Where they are just and loyal,  
  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
  
And unafraid of toil;  
  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
  
If you've a ready mind,  
  
Where those of wit and learning,  
  
Will always find their kind;  
  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
  
You'll make real friends,  
  
Those cunning folk use any means  
  
To achieve their ends.  
  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
  
And don't get in a flap!  
  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"  
  
The whole hall exploded into applause as the hat finished singing. It bowed, if a hat could, to each of the four house tables and then became quite still.  
  
"So we've just got to try on the hat!" I whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." How could I believe him? I'm so gullible.  
  
Harry smiled weakly at me, he seemed really nervous. But what does he have to be afraid of? He's famous there's no way he wont be picked, unlike me.  
  
Professor McGonagall stepped forward once again, holding a long roll of parchment.  
  
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.  
  
"Abbot, Hannah!"  
  
I feel sorry for her, I would hate to be her, up first.  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. Hannah Abbot got up and went over to the table on the right, that was cheering for her.  
  
"Bones, Susan!"  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted again, and Susan Bones went to sit by Hannah Abbot. Bones? Why does that last name seem so familiar?  
  
"Boot, Terry!"  
  
"Ravenclaw!"  
  
This process went on for awhile and I wasn't really paying attention until, "Granger, Hermione!"  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Oh no, just what I need, her in my house!  
  
I zoned back out until, "Malfoy, Draco!"  
  
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat screamed without barely touching his head. The number of people was about half way through. There were about 150 of us to begin with.  
  
"McQueen, Dominique!" was the next person to be called, she didn't look too happy about having to try on the hat after Malfoy. But she did all the same and the hat yelled "RAVENCLAW!"  
  
I couldn't concentrate, my eyes kept lingering to the Gryffindor table and Hermione, who was luckily sitting next to Percy, so it wasn't obvious.  
  
"Potter, Harry!" Was the next thing I heard. Harry slowly stepped forwards to the murmurs of: "Potter, did she say?" or "The Harry Potter?"  
  
While he had the hat on, everyone was trying to get a good look at him, well everyone besides the Slytherins.  
  
After a little bit the hat shouted: "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry easily had the loudest cheer yet, but that wasn't surprising, he was famous after all. I saw Percy stand up to shake Harry's hand. Harry seemed totally out of it, he was probably so relived that it was done and over with, not that Fred and George were helping either. They were standing and yelling, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"  
  
I looked back at the hat and saw: "Struthers, Allison!" {Ha, that's me!} sit down on the stool. She too joined the Gryffindor table, though she didn't get quite the applause Harry had, but I think they were probably pretty tired of clapping by now.  
  
"Walter, Kimberly!" Was the next to be sorted. She swaggered forward and placed the hat on her head, and no sooner had she sat down the hat shouted: "SLYTHERIN!" Next it was my turn I felt sick, was there a house for people who were sick?  
  
I walked up to the stool and then heard a small voice in my ear. "Oh, another Weasley," it said. "I know you want to be in Gryffindor, but do you belong there? Let's see…"  
  
Please, I thought, I've got to be in Gryffindor. "I figured you would, but do you truly deserve to be in Gryffindor? Let's see you've got courage and a thirst to prove yourself. Yep, got to be in GRYFFINDOR"  
  
The Gryffindor table burst into applause and I took a seat next to Harry.  
  
"Well done, Ron, excellent," Percy said as I sat down. Professor McGonagall had picked up the hat and stool and walked away with them.  
  
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling at us, his arms opened wide, as if this was his favorite part of the year.  
  
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin out banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!  
  
"Thank you!" And Dumbledore sat down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry voiced my opinion before I could open my mouth.  
  
"Is he – a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy.  
  
"Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But is he a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" Potatoes? Huh? Where's the potatoes? Oh there they are, I looked down and saw that the golden plates had filled with food. There was everything and anything you ever wanted to eat, even peppermint humbugs.  
  
I filled my plate with some of everything, I hadn't realized that I was this hungry. The chocolate frogs seemed ages ago. It was all do tasty.  
  
"That does look good," said the ghost sadly.  
  
"Can't you-" Harry started.  
  
"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years. I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." Suddenly it clicked.  
  
"I know who you are! My brothers told me about you – you're nearly Headless Nick!" I said.  
  
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy ---" Nearly Headless Nick started but Seamus Finnigan interrupted.  
  
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"  
  
Nearly Headless Nick looked very miffed, as though our conversation wasn't going the way he wanted it at all.  
  
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it were on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but hadn't done it properly. Though he was pleased to see the stunned looks on our faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So ---- new Gryffindors! I hope that you're going to help us with the house championship this year! Gryffindors have never gone so long with out winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable – he's the Slytherin ghost."  
  
"How'd he get covered in blood?" Seamus asked with great interest.  
  
"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick, and he sounded as if he never planned to.  
  
When we had all eaten as much as we could, the remains of food faded from the plates, though all I had left was some sauce, I was part of the "Clean Plate Club." Where's the dessert? No sooner had I asked myself that they had appeared. There was anything and everything you could possibly think of. My favorite! Chocolate éclairs! I helped myself to some and the conversation turned to families.  
  
"I'm half-and-half," Seamus said. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."  
  
I laughed, I wasn't the only one too. Thankfully.  
  
"What about you Neville?" I asked.  
  
Neville went on about his family thinking he was a squib but I wasn't listening. My eyes had once again lingered to Hermione, who was talking to Percy. Of course if Percy had been talking about it, I would have not paid attention. But for some unknown reason to me, it was completely amazing. What am I saying? Transfiguration is not interesting, not at all. Who am I kidding? Myself, yes and I will continue to do so… yes that's it, I won't think about her, eventually it will die out.  
  
I was formulating my plan when Harry cried out. "OUCH!" Harry clapped his hand over his scar.  
  
"What is it?" Percy asked.  
  
"N-nothing."  
  
I went back to eating my chocolate éclairs, if I looked at Harry I looked at Percy. And if I looked at Percy I looked at Hermione. Which looking at Hermione is not good. At last, the desserts faded from the table, Professor Dumbledore got back to his feet and the hall went silent.  
  
"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.  
  
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." I was sure that Dumbledore looked straight at Fred and George.  
  
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.  
  
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house should contact Madam Hooch.  
  
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."  
  
Harry laughed, why? I didn't see what was so funny.  
  
"He's not serious?" he asked Percy.  
  
"Must be," said Percy, who was frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to so somewhere—the forest's full of dangerous creatures, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." Great, he better not start the "I'm Percy the Prefect" speech. Thankfully not, Dumbledore began to talk again.  
  
"And now, before we go to bed. Let us sing the school song!" he gave a flick of wand and the words twisted out of the gold ribbon, which had come out of his wand.  
  
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"  
  
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
  
Teach us something please,  
  
Whether we be old and bald  
  
Or young with scabby knees,  
  
Our heads could do with filling  
  
With some interesting stuff,  
  
For now they're bared and full of air,  
  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
  
And learn until our brains all rot."  
  
Everyone finished at different moments. And of course my twin brothers were singing the slowest, a funeral march. Dumbledore conducted the last few lines with his wand. And when they had finally finished he clapped very loud.  
  
"Ah, music," he said wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you go!"  
  
Percy led us to the portrait hole, or at least he tried to. We ran into something on the way.  
  
"Peeves," Percy whispered to us. "A poltergeist." He then raised his voice. "Peeves – show yourself!"  
  
A loud, rude sound, like the sound of a balloon being let out answered.  
  
"Do you want me to get the Bloody Baron?" my brother asked.  
  
There was a pop, an a little wicked eyed, man appeared. He was floating cross-legged in the air, clutching walking sticks.  
  
"Oooooooooh!" he said, with a cackle. "Ikle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped our way, luckily we all ducked in time.  
  
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" Percy barked in the same voice that he uses when someone interrupts his homework.  
  
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. We heard him zoom away rattling the coats of armor as he passed them.  
  
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy as we started walking again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."  
  
At the very end of the corridor in which we were standing hung a huge portrait of a very fat lady in a pink silk dress.  
  
"Password?" she asked as we reached her.  
  
"Capult Draconis," Percy said, and the portrait swung open to reveal a round hole in the wall. We all scrambled through, although Neville needed a hand, and we found ourselves in what must be the Gryffindor common room. It was better than anyone had said. It was a round room full of squishy armchairs.  
  
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory. I got another glance of Hermione, and nope she hadn't changed one bit, still gorgeous. But I got dragged into reality again, because Percy was showing us up a spiral staircase, and into the first years dormitory, where there were four- posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. To my amazement our trunks were there already. I chose the bed with my stuff by it, I was to lazy to move it anywhere else, nor that I wanted to, Harry's bed was right there, I'd rather sleep near someone I knew than a complete stranger.  
  
"Great food, isn't it?" I muttered to Harry through our hangings. Ahh Scabbers us eating my sheets, "Get off Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."  
  
Harry must have drifted off to sleep, because he started snoring. Perhaps he'd eaten too much, I didn't have much time to think, because next thing I knew I was sleeping too. All I could dream about was that Hermione. What am I going to do? 


	5. The Potions Master

A/N: Hey welcome once again to Ron Weasley and the Philosopher's (or Sorcerer's) Stone!  
  
The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, the plot belongs to her too, and Ron's thoughts belong to me…. That's it!  
  
This chapter based off of chapter 8 in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (or Philosopher's) Stone!  
  
Sit back, relax and enjoy the show --- er---- story!  
  
~ Chapter 5 "The Potions Master" ~  
  
  
  
"There, look."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Next to the tall kid with the red hair." Yep that's me, the tall kid with the hair, who is lucky enough to be standing next to Harry Potter, these people need to get lives… gawking at Harry, though it'd be nice to be in the limelight every once and a while.  
  
"Did you see his face?"  
  
"Did you see his scar?" This must be odd for Harry, from what he's told me he's only know he's famous for a month. This has got to be so weird for him, going from a "nobody" and then suddenly to a "someone," that is world renown. There were more eyes looking at him then there were staircases at Hogwarts.  
  
There were one hundred forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that had a trick step that you had to remember to jump and some that led to a different place depending upon what day it was. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you tickled them in the right spot, or unless you asked nicely. Some weren't even doors at all, but walls that were pretending to be some. It was difficult to remember where anything was, it all seemed to move around a lot.  
  
Ghosts weren't any help either. It was horrible when one of them suddenly flew through the door you were desperately trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick, though, did point new Gryffindors in the right direction, happily. But if you ran into Peeves, well, lets just say I'd rather find five locked doors and three trick staircases, when I was late. But if you did run into him, most unfortunately, he would drop a garbage can on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, throw bits of chalk at you, or sneak up behind you, invisible, take hold of your nose and yell, "GOT YOUR CONK!"  
  
If you think that this is bad, wait until you meet Filch. Harry and I managed to get on his wrong side of Filch on our very first morning. He found us trying to force our way into the out-of-bounds area on the third floor, we were saved by Professor Quirrell, though, he was passing by. Filch had a sidekick, Mrs. Norris, his scrawny cat. She patrolled the hallways too. She'd go to Filch for the smallest thing, without time for you to get away. Filch knew the secret passageways better than anyone, except maybe my twin brothers. Most students', including mine, life goal was to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.  
  
Classes, besides being hard to get to, were hard themselves. On Wednesday nights us Gryffindors had Astronomy, in which we had to memorize the names of planets and know their movements. Then three times a week we had Herbology, with Professor Sprout, a dumpy little witch that reminded me of my mother, besides the fact that Professor Sprout liked gardening, Mum always had Fred, George and I do it.  
  
Though the most boring class of the week was easily History of Magic. Which, Professor Binns, an extremely boring ghost taught. I don't feel the need to bore you with the topic of his history so I won't.  
  
Charms was another adventure, Professor Flitwick was so short that he needed to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. When he took roll call he practically, okay he did, topple over after reading Harry's name.  
  
Once again, I'm shocked that my brothers ever wanted to cross Professor McGonagall, she seemed to be the strictest teacher yet. She gave us a lecture on the first class.  
  
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic that you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Does she seriously mean that, I mean come on, my brothers are still in transfiguration and they mess around all the time. Maybe she lets them stay in the class because they are beaters for her house team.  
  
McGonagall turned he desk into a pig and back again. We were all very impressed, Hermione looked as if she was in awe, and that she wanted to get started right away… but then again she had told my brother that she was very interested in this subject.  
  
McGonagall deflated all of our hopes she told us that we weren't going to turn furniture into animals for a very long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes we were all given a match and we started trying to turn them into needles. At the end of the class, Hermione, was the only one that had managed to make any difference to her match. Professor McGonagall showed us all how it had gone all silvery and pointy and the clincher is that McGonagall, probably the strictest teacher in the whole school, smiled at her.  
  
The class that we had all been waiting for, Defense Against the Dark Arts turned out to be a laugh. Professor Quirrell told us that he had received his "Lovely" turban from a tribe in Africa for removing of a troublesome zombie. When Seamus Finnigan had asked how he had done that Professor Quirrell started talking about the weather, I wonder what that's about. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom smelt so strongly of garlic, people said that it was to ward off the vampire that Quirrell had met in Romania. We had also noticed a smell coming from his turban, my brothers, Fred and George that is, said that it too was stuffed with garlic so that he was protected everywhere he went.  
  
Friday was a great day! Harry and I had made it down to the Great Hall without getting lost once!  
  
"What have we got today?" Harry asked me as he poured sugar onto his porridge.  
  
"Double Potions with the Slytherins," I responded. "Snape's head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them --- we'll be able to see if it is true."  
  
"I wish McGonagall favored us," Harry said. Though she was the Head of our house it didn't stop her from giving us loads of homework yesterday.  
  
Today the mail didn't shock Harry, he had been quite confused the first day. Hedwig had yet to bring Harry anything, but she came in to socialize, if you will. Though today she had something, she dropped it onto Harry's plate.  
  
Harry read the letter, and borrowed my quill. And scribbled on 'Yes, please, see you later' and sent Hedwig off again.  
  
"What was that Harry?" I asked.  
  
"Oh Hagrid invited me for tea"  
  
It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward too. Potions turned out to be the worst class yet. Snape seemed to dislike Harry – no he hated Harry.  
  
Potions class was in the dungeons, it was so cold down there, it would have been scary enough without all the pickled animals floating in glass jars around the room. Snape like Flitwick stopped at Harry's name when taking roll call.  
  
"Ah, yes," Snape said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new -- celebrity."  
  
Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands, but I could see them. Snape finished calling off names and looked up at us with is cold black eyes.  
  
"You are here to learn the subtle science and the exact art of potion making," Snape began. He spoke barely above a whisper, but we caught every word – like McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class quiet without any work. "As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe that this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death – if you aren't a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."  
  
The room was still silent after this little speech. I exchanged looks with Harry. Hermione looked, as she sat on the edge of her seat, as if she was ready to prove that she was not a dunderhead. Which she isn't she was the only one to change the match into anything that looked close to a needle…  
  
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly, making me jump. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"  
  
Boy was I glad I didn't get asked that I had no idea, bad thing for Harry though, he looked at me, then we both saw Hermione's hand sticking straight up in the air.  
  
"I don't know, sir," Harry said. Boy did he have guts.  
  
"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything," Snape said, his lips curled in a sneer.  
  
"Let's try again Potter," Snape said ignoring Hermione's hand, "where would you go if I told you to find a bezoar?"  
  
Hermione stretched her hand as high as it would go without having to stand up. Harry didn't seem to know what a bezoar was either, and replied "I don't know, sir."  
  
Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe were shacking with laughter, I had the urge to punch them, but I held myself back… I didn't need points taken away from Gryffindor.  
  
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"  
  
Harry kept looking right at Snape; you had to give him credit for that. Snape was still ignoring Hermione's hand, which was now waving around frantically in the air.  
  
"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"  
  
At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.  
  
"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"  
  
A few people laughed; Seamus turned around and winked at Harry. However, Snape was not pleased, to put it lightly.  
  
"Sit down!" he barked at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful that it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying this down?" I had hearted that Snape can get nasty, I just hope that this was as far as it would go, but I highly doubted it.  
  
We all were rummaging thorough our bags for parchment and quills. Over the noise Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."  
  
Snape separated us in pairs to start making a simple potion that would cure boils. Nothing seemed to be going right for us Gryffindors today. Snape criticized almost everyone except Malfoy, whom Snape seemed to like. He continued to tell us how wonderful and perfect Snape's potion was. I don't think I could have lasted any longer.  
  
Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, their potion was flowing across the room, burning holes in people's shoes. Luckily with my quick reflexes I had managed to jump onto my stool. Poor Neville though was drenched in the potion moaned in agony as angry red boils sprang up all over his legs and arms.  
  
"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the potion and restoring the cauldron with a wave of his wand. Was that a way to talk to a student? I didn't think so. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron of the fire?"  
  
Neville whimpered as boils began to spring up all over his nose, I felt bad for him, he seemed absolutely terrified of Snape.  
  
"Take him to the hospital wing," Snape ordered of Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and I; we were now back on the ground.  
  
"You – Potter—why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."  
  
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but I kicked him from behind our cauldron.  
  
"Don't push it," I muttered to him, "I've heard that Snape can turn very nasty."  
  
As we climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind seemed somewhere else.  
  
"Cheer up. Snape's always taking points off of Fred and George. Say, could I come and meet Hagrid with you?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
At three to five we left the castle and made our way to Hagrid's cabin, which was on the edge of the forbidden forest. Why Hagrid had chosen to live there I don't know, I wouldn't want to live next to a forest that has werewolves and other scary creatures. Ah but he has protection, I thought, seeing the crossbow and the pair of galoshes outside his front door.  
  
When Harry knocked on the door there was a loud, frantic, scrambling noise from inside the hut. Then several booming barks, a dog? Hagrid has a dog? Then Hagrid's voice rang out saying, "Back, Fang – back!"  
  
Hagrid's big; furry face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. "Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."  
  
Hagrid let us in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound, which he had named Fang apparently.  
  
There was only one room inside, my house was bigger than someone's though this one held one person not nine like mine had at one point and time.  
  
"Make yerselves at home," Hagrid said letting go of Fang, who came bounding right at me, and began licking my ears. With a name like 'Fang' you would think that this would have been a fierce, ferocious dog, but he wasn't.  
  
"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was coming around with rock cakes and putting hot water into a large teapot.  
  
"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid looking at me. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."  
  
The rock cakes were so hard that they almost broke our teeth. Harry and I pretended to enjoy them as we told Hagrid about our first classes. Fang had his head on Harry's knee, which was now covered in slobber.  
  
We were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch and old git. He also told us on how he wanted to introduce Mrs. Norris to Fang sometime. Then Harry told Hagrid about how cruel Snape was to him in our first lesson. Hagrid told him the same thing I did, that Snape liked hardly anyone.  
  
"But he seemed to really hate me," Harry protested.  
  
"Rubbish! Why should he?" Hagrid said. Turning to me Hagrid asked "How's yer brother Charlie? I liked him a lot – great with animals."  
  
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons. Mum's not to pleased with it, but Charlie really enjoys it." As I continued to talk about my brother Harry read a clip out of the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Hagrid!" Harry burst out suddenly, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"  
  
Hagrid just grunted and pushed the plate with the rock cakes on them towards us. Hagrid wasn't meeting Harry's eyes at all.  
  
We had been too polite to refuse Hagrid's cakes so they were in our pockets. Harry seemed really deep in thought so we didn't talk much as we trudged up to the castle for diner. 


	6. The Midnight Duel

A/N: So it's been a horribly long time. Please forgive me! Please? Still nothing belongs to me.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Chapter 6 "The Midnight Duel"**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Look! There's a notice!" called Seamus Finnagan as we entered the Gryffindor Common Room one night. The notice made us all groan though, flying lessons were starting on Thursday and we, the Gryffindors, would be learning with the Slytherins.   
"Typical. Just what I always wanted," Harry said darkly. "To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."   
"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," I said reasonably. "Anyway, I know that Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, I bet that's all talk."   
  
Everyone was either excited with learning how to fly or extremely nervous. Hermione Granger and Neville were both very nervous. I suppose Hermione was scared because you couldn't memorize how to do this out of a book. Nevertheless, she tried. Thursday morning she was lecturing us all, er, boring us all, everyone except Neville that is, with flying tips from a book she had checked out of the library, Quidditch Through the Ages. Everyone was relieved, besides Neville, when she was interrupted by the arrival of mail.   
A barn owl had arrived for Neville carrying a small package that he quickly unwrapped. He showed us all a small glass ball that was full of white smoke.   
"It's a Remembrall! Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something that you've forgotten to do," he explained. "Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – oh…" Neville's face fell, because the smoke had turned red, "… you've forgotten something…"   
As he tried to remember what he had forgotten Malfoy showed up and snatched the Remembrall right out of his hand. Harry and I jumped to our feet. I was hoping for a reason to give Malfoy a good punch, but Professor McGonagall was there in a flash, she could spot trouble faster than my mother, and that's saying something.   
"What's going on?"   
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."   
Scowling Malfoy flung the Remembrall back at Neville, who missed catching it and it landed right into Neville's goblet.   
"Just looking," he said and walked away with Crabbe and Goyle following him.   


At three thirty, all of the first year Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for our first flying lesson. It was a nice day, clear sky, slightly breezy, and the grass rippled under our feet as we walked down the sloping lawns toward a smooth flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying in the distance.   
Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were already there. Also lying on the ground were twenty or so broomsticks which were in two straight lines, I suppose one line for each of the two houses that would be learning at that time.   
Fred and George are always complaining about the school brooms, saying that they always fly slightly to the left or that they start to vibrate if you flew to high.   
Our teacher, Madam Hooch arrived shortly. She had yellow eyes like a hawk and short gray hair.   
"Well what are you waiting for?" She asked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on now, hurry up."   
You could tell that the school brooms were not of Nimbus quality, I looked down at the broom, it was a Cleansweep 5. The twigs from the tail were sticking out in odd places, and the handle was so dirty.   
"Stick your right hand out over the broom," Madam Hooch barked, "and say 'Up!'"   
"UP!" everyone shouted.   
I looked in amazement as Harry's broom flew right into his hand.   
"With feeling now," Madam Hooch was saying.   
"Up!" I said again, but instead of the broom flying into my hand it flew straight up and smacked me in the forehead.   
"Shut up Harry," I said noticing him laughing.   
Once everyone had their broom in their hands, and Harry was done laughing, Madam Hooch showed us all how to mount our brooms.   
"Grip it tight, we don't want you falling off the end. No, no that's not right boy," she said reaching Malfoy, "You've been doing it like that for years? Well then, you've been doing it wrong for years."   
This was music to my ears; Harry's too, for that matter.   
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, rise up from the ground a bit, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle then – three – two -"   
Neville, who was scared out of his wits and very jumpy about it, pushed off hard before Madam Hooch had blown the whistle.   
"Come back!" she shouted, but it didn't do any good, Neville just kept rising off the ground. He whirled, spun, and flew around the castle. I closed my eyes, I couldn't watch anymore.   
A thud and nasty crack told me that Neville wasn't in the air anymore, but indeed back on the ground, but not on his own two feet. He was lying facedown on the grass in a heap. The broom he had been riding was still flying around; it flew over the forbidden forest and out of sight. Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face just as white as his was.   
"Broken wrist," I heard her say. "Come on boy – it's all right, up you get."   
She turned to the rest of us.   
"None of you is to move while I take him to the hospital wing! If I see a single broom in the air the rider will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch.' Come, dear."   
Neville, face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch.   
As soon as they were out of earshot Malfoy burst into laughter.   
"Did you see his face, the great lump?"   
The Slytherins all laughed.   
"Shut up Malfoy!" snapped Parvati Patil.   
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a very ugly Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati."   
"Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze," Malfoy said holding Neville's Remembrall, "he'd remember to fall on his fat arse."   
"Give it here Malfoy," Harry said quietly. Everyone else stopped talking to watch.   
"No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find. How about – up a tree?" Malfoy said taking off on the broom. Apparently, Malfoy wasn't full of talk. Well this time anyway, he could fly well. "Come and get it Potter!" he called hovering level with the top most branches of an oak tree.   
Harry grabbed his broom and began to mount it when Hermione came over.   
"Harry no way! You heard what Madame Hooch said! Besides you don't even know how to fly."   
Harry obviously ignored her, as would I, for that matter.   
"What an idiot," she said watching him fly off.   
For never flying before, Harry was pretty good. Without even knowing what I was doing I let out a whoop, as he pulled the broom even higher.   
"Give it here!" Harry shouted, "or I'll know you off that broom!"   
"Is that so?" Malfoy said, though he looked a little nervous.   
Suddenly Harry did something, how he knew how to do it I really don't know, but all the same, he leaned forward on the broom, and shot toward Malfoy. Malfoy barely just got out of the way in time. Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people beside myself were clapping.   
"No Crabbe and Goyle to save your neck up here Malfoy!" Harry called.   
"Catch it if you can, then," Malfoy shouted and threw the ball high into the air and streaked back down to the ground.   
I watched as Harry leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down – next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive – he might be able to catch it! People were screaming down here on the ground. Harry stretched out his hand, and a foot from the ground he pulled the broom steady with the Remembrall in his hand.   
"HARRY POTTER!"   
I turned around and saw Professor McGonagall running towards us, this was bad.   
"Never – in all my time at Hogwarts-"   
Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock. Her glasses flashed furiously, "--how dare you – might have broken your neck--"   
"It wasn't his fault, Professor--"   
"Be quiet, Miss Patil--"   
"But Malfoy—" I said trying to tell Professor McGonagall what had happened, but she cut me off.   
"That's enough Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."   
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were looking triumphant as they left.   
"He'll be out of here in ten minutes," Malfoy was telling the Slytherins.   
What am I going to do, Harry's going to be gone in a few moments, Malfoy was right.   
Madam Hooch arrived and the class continued.   
"Where's the Potter boy?"   
"Professor McGonagall took him," Hermione Granger said. I couldn't tell if she sounded happy or upset about it.   


"You're joking," I said at dinner, Harry had just told me what had happened when McGonagall took him back to the castle. It turned out that he wasn't punished at all, but actually kind of rewarded, he was now the newest member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and a Seeker at that.   
"Seeker? But first years never – you must be the youngest house player in about –"   
"—a century," said Harry, shoveling some kidney pie into his mouth, he seemed particularly hungry. "Wood told me."   
"I start training next week," Harry told me. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."   
My twin brothers came into the hall just then and hurried over to us.   
"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too—Beaters."   
"Our job is to make sure you don't get bloodied up to bad," Fred said.   
"Can't make any promises of course—"   
"Rough game Quidditch—"   
"Brutal. But no one's died in years, someone will vanish occasionally –"   
"But they'll turn up in a month or two!"   
"I'll tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," George said.   
"We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was practically skipping when he told us."   
"Anyway, we've got to go. Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passage out of the school."   
"Bet it's that one behind that statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."   
Fred and George had just barely left when someone much less pleasant showed up, Malfoy flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.   
"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you catching the train back tot the Muggles?"   
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and that you've got your little friends with you," Harry said coolly. Little friends? I didn't think that there was anything little about Crabbe or Goyle, but as the Head table was full of teachers, all they could do was crack their knuckles and scowl.   
"I'd take you on my own anytime," said Malfoy. "Tonight if you want. Wizard's Duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a Wizard's Duel before, I suppose?"   
"Of course he has," I lied. "I'm his second, who's yours?"   
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle sizing them up.   
"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."   
When Malfoy had gone I looked at Harry, who was already looking at me.   
"What is a Wizard's Duel? And what do you mean, you're my second?" Harry asked.   
"Well a second's there to take over if you die," I said. Catching the look on Harry's face I added quickly, "But people only die in proper Wizard's Duels, you know, with full grown wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real harm. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."   
"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"   
"Throw it away and punch him in the nose," I suggested.   
"Excuse me."   
We looked up. It was Hermione Granger.   
"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?"   
Hermione ignored me and spoke to Harry.   
"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying—"   
"Bet you could," I muttered.   
"—and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night," she said ignoring me, "think of the points you'll lose for Gryffindor if you get caught, and you're bound to be. It's really selfish of you."   
"And it's really none of your business," Harry said.   
"Good-bye," I said in mock sadness.   


At half-past eleven, I whispered to Harry that it was time to go. We pulled on our bathrobes, found our wands and pocketed them, and crept across the dormitory, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. The fire in the fireplace was still going, though just barely. We had almost reached the Fat Lady when a voice spoke to us, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."   
A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a frown, which didn't go with her pink bathrobe too well.   
"You!" I said angrily. "Go back to bed!"   
"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped. "Percy—he's a prefect—"   
Yes I knew that, how stupid does she think I am? Not knowing that my own brother is a prefect, especially when you live with him, and that's all that you hear all summer.   
"—He'd put a stop to this."   
I groaned. I also hit myself mentally. Liking her? What was wrong with me? And what's with her attitude?   
"Come on," Harry said. He pushed the portrait open and climbed through the hole. I followed, so did Hermione. She, apparently, wasn't one to give up fast.   
"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't what Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got form Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."   
"Go away," Harry said.   
"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so—"   
But what we were we never found out. We turned around to see what had caused the miracle of Hermione stop of talking. Instantly it was apparent. The Fat Lady was not in her picture. She apparently had gone for a nighttime visit to another painting and there was no way to get inside the Gryffindor tower. Hermione was locked out.   
"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.   
"That's your problem," I told her. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."   
We hadn't even reached the end of the short corridor when Hermione caught up with us.   
"I'm coming with you," she said.   
"You are not," I told her.   
"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."   
"You've got some nerve –" I said a little too loudly.   
"Shut up, both of you!" Harry snapped, "I heard something."   
It was a sort of snuffling.   
"Mrs. Norris?" I breathed, squinting through the darkness.   
It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was lying on the floor, curled up tightly, and fast asleep. He jerked awake as we crept near to him.   
"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get into bed."   
"Keep your voice down, Neville," I scolded. "The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."   
"How's your arm?" Harry asked.   
"Fine," Neville said showing us. "Madam Pomphrey mended it in about a minute."   
"Good – well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later—"   
"Don't leave me!" Neville said panicking, "I don't want to stay out here alone, then Bloody Baron's been past twice already."   
I looked at my watch and then glared angrily at Hermione and Neville.   
"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."   
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and he beckoned us all to follow him forward.   
We went down corridors that were light by stripes of moonlight coming in through the windows. At every turn you could hear Harry hold his breath, I expect he was expecting to see Filch or Mrs. Norris. We reached the staircase that took you to the third floor towards the trophy room and went up.   
We reached the room and Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The trophies were glimmering due to the fact that the moonlight was on them. We crept past shields, cups, statues and plates, throughout the whole time keeping our eyes on the doors on either end of the room. Harry took out his wand, probably to be ready if that stinking Slytherin were to sneak up on him. Minutes crept by, I looked at my watch, "He's late, maybe he chickened out," I whispered.   
Then a noise from the other room made us all jump. Harry raised his wand and we heard someone speak, but it wasn't Malfoy.   
"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch! It was filch talking to his cat Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at us to follow him as quickly s possible. We went toward the door that was the other way from Filch; Neville had barely made it through the door when we heard Filch enter the trophy room.   
"There in here somewhere," we heard him say, "hiding probably."   
"This way!" Harry mouthed to us; obligingly we followed him down a long hall full of suits of armor. We could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a squeak and broke into a run, but he tripped on his robe and grabbed me around the waist and we went flying right into a suit of armor.   
The crashing and clanging was definitely going to have Filch come running.   
"RUN!" Harry yelled, and we did. Following Harry this way and that we found ourselves near our Charms classroom, which meant we were ages away from the trophy room.   
"I think we lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the wall and wiping his forehead. I sure hoped so. Neville was bent double, sputtering and wheezing.   
"I – told—you," Hermione gaped clutching her side, "I – told – you."   
"We've got to get back to the Gryffindor tower," I said cutting her off, "as quickly as possible."   
"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione continued anyway. "You realize that don't you? He was never going to meet you – Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."   
She was probably right, I thought, though I wasn't going to tell her that because that would just satisfy her.   
"Let's go," I said.   
But of course it couldn't be that simple, we hadn't gone a few feet when a doorknob rattled and Peeves came shooting out of the doorway.   
He saw us and let out a squeal of delight.   
"Shut up Peeves—please – you'll get us thrown out," Harry pleaded.   
Peeves cackled.   
"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."   
"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."   
"Should tell Filch, I should," Peeves said in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good you know."   
"Get out of the way Peeves," I snapped taking a swipe at him… this was a very wrong move.   
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" he bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"   
Ducking under Peeves, we ran for our lives, right to the end of the corridor where we ran into a door – and with our luck, it was locked.   
"This is it," I moaned, as I helped Neville and Harry push on the door, "We're done for!"   
We could hear footsteps, undoubtedly Filch running as fast as he could towards Peeves's shouts.   
"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled taking Harry's wand. Tapping the lock she whispered, "Alohomora!"   
The lock clicked and we were in.   
"Alohomora?" I asked.   
"Standard Book of Spells, chapter seven."   
Harry motioned for us to be quiet; we put our ears against the door listening.   
"Which way did they go, Peeves? Quick, tell me."   
"Say 'please.'"   
"Don't mess with me Peeves, now where did they go?"   
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," Peeves said in his annoying singsong voice.   
"All right – please."   
"NOTHING! Ha haaaaaaaaaaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" We could hear the sound of Peeves flying away from Filch who was in a cursing rage.   
"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay – get off, Neville. What?"   
The three of us turned around – and we saw what was what. This took the cake of all the stuff that had happened to us. We were in the forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now we knew why it was forbidden, and how you would come to that very painful death.   
We were looking right into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog who had three heads, three pairs of eyes, three noses, and three sets of teeth.   
Surprisingly enough the dog hadn't attacked yet, but it probably had quite shock when people ran into it's home, so to say. But it seemed to be getting over the shock; there was no doubt of what those growls meant.   
Harry grabbed for the doorknob, and I agreed with him, I'd much rather take Filch then death.   
We fell backward—and slammed the door shut, and we ran, flew almost, back down the corridor. We didn't see Filch anywhere, he must have went to look for them elsewhere. But I hardly cared; I wanted to get as far away from that three-headed dog as fast as possible. We didn't stop running until we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady that was up on the seventh floor.   
"Where on Earth have you been?" she asked, looking at our flushed, sweaty faces and our bathrobes hanging of our shoulders.   
"Never mind that – pig snout, pig snout," Harry panted and the portrait swung open. We scrambled in and collapsed into the nearest armchairs.   
It was awhile before anyone spoke, Neville looked as if he'd never speak again.   
"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" I asked finally, "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."   
Hermione seemed to get back both her breath and her bad temper.   
"You don't use your eyes do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"   
"The floor," Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was a bit preoccupied with its heads."   
"Or maybe you didn't notice," I snapped, "it had three."   
"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."   
"Guarding something?" Harry asked.   
"Yes, and I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have been killed – or worse, expelled." I looked at her curiously. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."   
I stared after her, mouth hanging open. Boy, does that girl have her priorities mixed up.   
"No, we don't mind," I said, "You'd think that we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"   
But Harry never seemed to hear me; he seemed in deep thought as we climbed the stairs up to our dormitory.****


End file.
